2017 Keren HaYesod Missions

1948 – Israel Independence Day Evening Event

The challenge:

To create an Israel Independence Day event that would tell the story of the establishment of the State of Israel in an original way, create joy and pride.

What we did:

We invited the participants to a journey in time – back to 1948 – the year that the state was established. The audience entered into a space that recreated Tel Aviv during those years through design, music and theatrical characters who portrayed the people of that era. The participants entered into a living musical – which took place around them – in which each of the characters sang a song telling the story of his or her life, dreams and hopes. The climax came when the characters came together for a recreation of the declaration of the State of Israel – while the performers sang English translations of the main sentences of the Declaration of Independence, which had been put to music for the event. Following the declaration, the characters – led by Ben Gurion and Golda Meir – broke into an exciting hora, joined by all of the guests.

The results:

An experiential and original event, rich in narrative content, which was etched into everyone’s memory.